Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) use decentralized, AI-driven decision-making processes to providing material handling capabilities in industrial settings. Essay 1 examines how firms organize and engage to mitigate uncertainty during external technology integration (ETI), using an abductive approach with dyadic customer-supplier data to extend prior ETI models by exploring firm engagement, organizational adaptation, and distinct uncertainty types in AMR ETI projects. Essay 2 applies a grounded theory approach to examine AMR integration, using constant comparison and theoretical sampling to develop core categories explaining how suppliers, customers, and users exchange knowledge impacting AMR integration and project performance. Finally, Essay 3 is a conceptual paper examining the importance of end-user adoption by integrating ETI and technology acceptance model (TAM) frameworks, exploring important relationships between managerial interventions, cognitive constructs, user acceptance, and project success in AMR ETIs. As a whole, these essays contribute to the body of knowledge by extending the breadth and depth of current ETI models, emerging a substantive theory of AMR AIU, and extending TAM by grounding managerial interventions and individual cognitive constructs in an AMR context. Managers can use these frameworks to differentiate AMRs and other autonomous collaborative technology from traditional automation, and develop strategies enabling timely and effective AMR implementation.

Technology has become pervasive in society and classrooms today. However, studies show that most teachers are not yet comfortable integrating technology into their repertoire of instructional strategies (Education Week, 2005). National reports and standards documents have recognized that technology proficiency is essential for all students (International Society for Technology in Education, 2000; No Child Left Behind, 2002; U.S. Department of Education, 2004). Teacher instruction is a critical factor in maximizing the potential that educational technology has to impact student achievement. The purpose of this study was to determine how an exemplary elementary teacher uses technology to improve student learning and why she has chosen to integrate technology into her classroom instruction in the ways she has. A single-case design was used in this qualitative study. The researcher was the instrument used in the collection of data. Purposeful sampling was used in the selection of the study's participant, an exemplary elementary teacher who utilizes technology in her classroom. The participant in this research study was a certified elementary teacher. Her elementary principal and a school district administrator were also interviewed to provide additional perspectives to the case study. Personal interviews, observations, and document analysis were used to collect data. The findings of this study included examples of how the participating teacher used technology in her classroom. These findings included ways that she integrated technology into daily activities across of wide variety of curriculum content areas, and ways the classroom environment was designed to encourage interaction, communication, and cooperation as students worked on instructional activities that incorporated technology. The barriers of professional development, access, support, and time did not hamper the participating teacher's ability to integrate technology. Technology was used daily in the participating teacher's classroom for enhancing student work, easing the teacher's management and planning tasks, and communicating with parents and other faculty members. Additionally, I found that the participating teacher was motivated to use technology by several factors. Administrative support, the teacher's personal use of technology, and student engagement and motivation served as factors as to why the participating teacher integrated technology into her daily classroom instruction. Recommendations included: (a) incorporating educational technology into a variety of undergraduate teacher education courses, (b) including a variety of instructional strategies for integrating technology in methods courses of preservice teacher education programs, (c) studying further how to effectively reduce the most-noted barriers to technology integration - lack of professional development, access, support, and time, (d) requiring candidates in educational administration graduate programs to take an educational technology course, and (e) conducted further study to determine the link between the use of technology in a teacher's personal life and any increased classroom technology integration.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Throughout the last 30 years, there has been a movement to use computer technology in schools to enhance teaching and learning. In recent years, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 has mandated that states have a long range strategic educational technology plan that describes the many facets of their technology integration efforts (2002). However, at this time research indicates that technology integration in classrooms is still low tech and infrequent (Cuban, 2001; NCES, 2005a). The purpose of this quantitative study was to gain insight into a teacher's use of computer technology with students in K-5 general education public school classrooms across the state of Virginia. Eleven independent variables (e.g., teaching philosophy, professional development, hardware proficiency, software proficiency) and 2 dependent variables (i.e., frequency and application of technology integration) were selected based on a review of literature and input from educators. A questionnaire, designed to measure variables, was field tested for validity and reliability then administrated to teachers. The population of the study was approximately 16,500 K-5 general education public school teachers from the state of Virginia with active e-mail addresses in the Market Data Retrieval (MDR) database. A systematic sample of 1,400 K-5 teachers was selected from the MDR database. Teachers' responses rendered 313 usable questionnaires. Analysis of the data revealed that the majority of independent variables (8), with the exception of 3 independent variables (i.e., technical support, student to computer ratio, technology integration support), yielded significant correlations with the dependent variable frequency of technology integration. Whereas, all independent variables (10), with the exception of technical support, yielded significant correlations with the dependent variable application of technology integration. Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to determine whether the 11 independent variables were significant predictors of variation in the dependent variables (frequency and application of integration). The results of both regression analyses rendered significant models for the prediction of variation in frequency and application of integration (R2= .16, R2=.39), respectively. The researcher concluded that the predicted variance (R2= .16) of regression model 1 was too small to be considered a viable model for the predication of variation in frequency. Whereas, regression model 2 predicted a greater level of variance (R2=.39), thus it was considered a good predictor of variation in the application of technology integration. Three of the 11 independent variables (i.e., software availability, teaching philosophy, and software proficiency) were among the variables that were significant predictors of variance in the application of technology integration. The strongest predictor was software availability followed by teaching philosophy and software proficiency. Teachers who reported moderate to low variety in the application of technology integration also reported moderate access to software, moderately low software proficiency, and use of instructional practices that were consistent with constructivism. / Ph. D.

In an attempt to promote the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills in preservice teachers, studies have attempted to identify effective instructional technology integration practices on the part of the teacher education program, as well as exemplary programs themselves (Hofer, 2005; Mergendoller et al., 1994; Strudler & Wetzler, 1999). A significant number of studies focus on examining various components of technology integration plans within teacher education programs, but few have extended this examination to determine if transfer is evidenced in the practices of graduates. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to identify instructional technology integration strategies and practices in preservice teacher education that contribute to the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills to the instructional practices of early career teachers. This study employed a two-phase, sequential explanatory strategy, where quantitative data were collected via an online survey during the first phase and then interview data were collected during the second phase. The targeted sample population for this research study consisted of male and female early career teachers who had completed a graduate level teacher education program through the School of Education (SOE) at a large, research university located in the Southeast. Overall, these early career teachers assessed themselves as being proficient users of instructional technologies and feeling comfortable with their level of technology integration in the classroom. Out of nine qualities demonstrated in literature to promote learning transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills, the early career teachers reported the top three factors found in the study institution to be: the modeling of effective uses of technology integration by faculty in content-specific areas; opportunities to reflect upon technology integration practices in the classroom; and opportunities to practice and experiment with instructional technologies. The early career teachers reported the three top barriers inhibiting technology integration in their classrooms as being: too much content to cover; lack of time to design and implement technology-enhanced lessons; and a lack of software resources. Although a majority of the early career teachers reported that the teacher education program overall prepared them to integrate technology into the classroom, they also reported that opportunities to practice technology integration and having access to expert guidance during their field experiences were lacking. Several suggestions were made by study respondents and these included: providing more opportunities to experiment and play with instructional technologies like SmartBoards; faculty support with regards to implementing and practicing with technology integration in field experiences; and technology courses that focus on up-to-date instructional technology tools within each of the content areas. Findings from this study might be useful to teacher educators and researchers because it provides naturalistic recommendations (Stake, 1995) on how to improve their programs that are corroborated by the literature, and it offers an adapted survey that can be utilized to investigate technology integration transfer from the teacher education period to the early classroom practice period of new teachers. / Ph. D.

In order to address the problem of newly hired teachers' failure to transfer technology integration knowledge and skills, this study used a developmental research approach in which, factors of knowledge transfer were operationalized through using The First Principles of Instructions (Merrill, 2002) to form a set of instructional considerations to promote the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills from the learning setting to the application setting. A panel of expert reviewers from Kuwait and United states validated these considerations and led the revisions process. This study describes the development process of the instructional considerations, the expert review, and the revision of the final product. / Doctor of Philosophy / Newly hired teachers in the Kuwaiti context often fail to transfer knowledge and skills of technology integration from instructional technology courses to in classroom teaching. Research in knowledge transfer has identified factors that can promote the transfer of skills and knowledge from the learning context to the application context. These factors showed their effectiveness in technology integration literature. This study used a developmental research approach in which factors of knowledge transfer were operationalized through using The First Principles of Instructions (Merrill, 2002) to form a set of instructional considerations to promote the transfer of technology integration knowledge and skills from the learning setting to the application setting. A panel of expert reviewers from Kuwait and United states validated these considerations and led the revisions process. This study describes the development process of the instructional considerations, the expert review, and the revision of the final product.

Increasing technology intervention in rural schools is still a herculean task, especially with the lack of adequate infrastructures and limited resources. The purpose of this quantitative, causal comparative study was to determine the impact of technology interventions on student achievement in rural Nigerian schools. The study explored the differences in student achievement in mathematics and English between technology and nontechnology schools and established a relationship between teachers' level of technology implementation and student achievement. The convenience sample comprised 2,369 examination scores in mathematics and English of Senior Secondary Level 2 (SS2) students and purposive sampling of 34 teachers who participated in an online survey. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), the level of technology implementation (LoTi) framework, and Pearson's correlation coefficient test. The results showed significant differences in student achievement between technology and nontechnology schools. However, the LoTi framework results indicated a low level of technology implementation in classroom instruction and no significant relationship between teachers' technology integration and student performance. Thus, the mere presence of technology seems to have more impact on student grades than the ways in which teachers use it. This study is resource material for stakeholders in education to ascertain the technology that worked best, teachers' professional development, and other infrastructures, prior to the deployment of technology interventions. The results could be useful for increasing teachers' technology integration and improving student performance, thereby leading to positive social change.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between on-site Technology Facilitators, access to technology, technology usage, and technology skill levels of teachers at the eleven C?R?E?A?T?E for Mississippi Partner Schools in the 2003-2004 school year. Four hundred eighteen certified teachers, seven Technology Facilitators, and two Technology Aides participated in the C?R?E?A?T?E for Mississippi project in this time frame in the Partner Schools. Mean difference scores relative to teachers? beginner technology skills and advanced technology skills showed greater gains in Partner Schools that had some level of on-site support than Partner Schools that did not have on-site support. Moreover, schools that had on-site support had greater technology usage rates than the Partner Schools that did not have an on-site support person. Level of on-site support and access to technology, along with other variables of interest, were regressed on teachers? beginner technology skill levels, advanced technology skill levels, and technology usage depicted in the form of student contact hours. The level of on-site support and access to technology explained most of the variance on teachers? beginner and advanced technology skill levels. However, the interaction between level of on-site support and access to technology explained most of the variance on technology usage when loaded into the hierarchical multiple linear regression model further supporting researchers? claims that these two variables are first-order barriers to technology-integration.